LASSEN, LIKE SO MANY OTHERS, HAD BECOME INTRIGUED BY THE POSSIBLE EXISTENCE OF THE FABLED GOLD LAKE. IN THE LATE SUMMER/EARLY FALL OF 1850, LASSEN, J. GOLDSBOROUGH BRUFF, AND A SMALL GROUP OF MEN EXPLORED NORTHEASTERN CALIFORNIA IN SEARCH OF GOLD LAKE, THOUGH THEY NEVER FOUND IT. IN 1855, LASSEN DID FIND GOLD, IN THE HONEY LAKE VALLEY. THAT FALL, LASSEN, AND HIS COMPANIONS, ISADORE MEYERWITZ, JOSEPH LYNCH, NEWTON HAMILTON, MARION LAWRENCE, AND JOHN DECHENE BUILT A LOG CABIN NEAR LASSEN CREEK AND SPENT THE WINTER IN HONEY LAKE VALLEY.                                                                                                                          

   LASSEN CONTINUED WITH MANY PURSUITS WHILE HE LIVED IN THE HONEY LAKE VALLEY--- HE WAS ELECTED PRESIDENT OF THE NATAQUA TERRITORY AND ALSO HELD THE POSITION OF SURVEYOR. IN THE FALL OF 1858, NEWS CIRCULATED OF THE SILVER DISCOVERY IN THE BLACK ROCK DESERT, NEVADA. IN THE SPRING OF 1859, LASSEN ORGANIZED A PROSPECTING PARTY. IT WAS DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS, ONE LED BY CAPTIAN W WILLIAM WEATHERLOW AND THE OTHER BY LASSEN--THAT GROUP CONSISTED OF LASSEN, EDWARD CLAPPER, AND LEMERICUS WYATT. THE TWO GROUPS WERE TO MEET AT THE BLACK ROCK CANYON. LASSEN AND COMPANY ARRIVED FIRST AND REMAINED TO WAIT FOR WEATHERLOW’S PARTY, A FATAL MISTAKE.

   ON THE MORNING OF APRIL 26, 1859, LASSEN’S CAMP WAS AWAKENED BY A GUNSHOT, A FATAL ONE, STRIKING THE HEAD OF CLAPPER. LASSEN WAS KILLED BY THE SECOND SHOT. WYATT ESCAPED AND RODE HORSEBACK 124 MILES TO SUSANVILLE TO SAFETEY AND TO RELAY THE TRAGIC EVENT.  WHO MURDERED CLAPPER AND LASSEN IS A QUESTION STILL PONDERED TO THIS DAY. WYATT STATED THAT THEY HAD BEEN ATTACKED BY INDIANS. HOWEVER, MANY HISTORIANS ARE SKEPTICAL ABOUT WYATT’S STORY AND SPECULATE THAT HE MURDERED HIS COMRADES.